Power feed for wood planers



Aug. 24, 1954 H. T. MOORE PowER FEED FOR woon PLANERs 2 Sheets-Sheet ll Filed June 25, 1951 INVHVTOR. H5N1? Y 7'.' M0025 I l I (IIJ Aug- 24, 1954 H. T. MOORE 2,687,153

POWER FEED FOR WOOD PLANERS Filed June `25, 195] 2 Sheets-Sheet" 2.

Patented Aug. 24, 1954 PoWEa FEED Fon Woon PLANEns Henry T. Moore, Greeneld, Mass., `assignor of` one-half to George A. Merriam, Greenfield,

lViass.

Application June 25, 1951, Serial No. 233,397

1 claim. 1

This invention relates to improvements in Wood planers and more particularly to a power feed for Wood planers.

In applicants co-pending application Serial Number 156,510, led April 18, 1950, and issued Dec. 1l, 1951, as Patent No. 2,577,975, there was illustrated and described a hand fed device for dressing wood and for ornamenting dressed or undressed wood with moulding. In the aforesaid device, the wood slab for processing is fed manually under the dressing tool of a carrier vertically adjustable relative to the plane of the wood while spring actuated shaving deflectors aid in maintaining the wood slabA in position. Subsequently it was found expedient to incorporate a power feed in the planer which improvements are the subject matter of this application.

It is a'n object of the instant invention to facilitate the work of the operator of the woodplaner.

Another object is to enable `the operator to produce more perfect work.

Other objects of the instant invention will become apparent in the course of the following specification.

In the attainment of these objectives, a power driven feed roller is rotatably and adjustably attached to the front of the tool carrier while a power driven take away roller is similarly attached to the back of the carrier. Chain driven sprocket wheels keyed to the extended ends of the roller on the same side of the carrier are rotated by a chain drive in the same -direction as the direction of rotation of the dressing tool in the carrier. A simple and adjustable mechanism has been incorporated with each roller to vary the pressure of the roller against the wood slab being processed.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing by way of example a preferred embodiment of the inventive concept.

In the drawings: p f

Figure l is a plan View of the improved wood planer constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational View of the planer shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a rear elevational view in part section of the planer shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a sectional view along lI--II of Figure 1, but on an enlarged scale.

Referring now in greater detail to the drawings where like reference numerals indicate like parts, reference numeral I indicates the work table assembly, II the dressing tool support pivotally mounted along one edge of the horizontal platform of the table, I2 the tool carrier vertically adjustable in the support, and 13a the dressing tool rotatably inserted in the carrier. All of the above mentioned parts are `substantially the same as the corresponding parts in the previously mentioned co-pending application Serial Number 156,510 (Patent No. 2,577,975) with the exception of the tool carrier. In the tool carrier of the co-pending application shaving defiectors under downwardly directed tension aided in holding the wood slab being processed in position. In subject application, shaving deectors under downwardly directed tension are unnecessary and hence have been eliminated as separate units with the inner surface of the front and back of the carrier providing the deflecting surfaces.

At the front of the carrier I2 in subject application is a feed roller I3 and at the back thereof a take away roller I4. Each roller is made from any suitable material formed around the roller shafts I 5 and It, respectively. The shaft I 5 is a cradle housing Il land the shaft I6 in a somewhat similar cradle housing I8 described in the following paragraphs.

The housing I'I is constituted of the spaced side members I9 and 2t (Fig. l), the front member 2 I,

`and the top member 22 with open back and bottom as most clearly seen in Figures 1 and 4. It will be noted in Figure l that the free ends of the side members I9 and 2|] are extended rearwardly of the top member 22 with the extended ends pivotally fastened on opposite sides of the carrier I2 by any suitable pivot pins 23. Rotatably inserted through the side member I9 and 26 of the housing is the shaft I5 of the feed roller I3, one end of the shaft being extended through the corresponding side. On the protruded end of the shaft, a gear wheel 211 is keyed, the wheel being in operable engagement with another gear wheel 25 rotatably mounted on the same side member of the housing and to the shaft of which is keyed a sprocket wheel 25 (Fig. 2). It will be noted in Figure 4 that the bottom of the roller I4 protrudes through the open bottom of the housing for operable engagement with the Wood slab 21a to be processed.

The cradle housing I8 at the back of the carrier I2 for the take away roller I4 is similar in all respects to the previously described housing I'I except that the front oi the housing I8 is open and the back closed.

For adjusting the feed and take away rollers 3 about the pivotal mounting points of each and relative to the plane of the platform of the work table or the surface of the Wood slab to be processed, there has been added to the outer surface of the carrier at the front and the back the similar anchors 21 (Fig. 2). Substantially aligned with the anchors 21 but on the outer surfaces of the cradle housings are the similar anchors 28. Each pair of anchors have aligned openings formed therethrough and the openings in the like anchors 28 on the housings are threaded for the threaded insertion of the screws 29 which have restricted end portions for rotatable insertion through the openings of the corresponding anchors 21 on the carrier. The restricted end portion of each screw extends beyond the anchor 21 and is held in position by a known split pin 30. A coiled spring Sla around each screw and under tension between each pair of anchors maintains each roller under downwardly directed tension.

In operation, the wood slab 27a is placed on the horizontal platform of the work bench I and the tool carrier lowered to a point where the t dressing tool I3 will remove the desired thicknessk from the wood in the dressing operation. The feed roller lll is pressed down on the slab 21a as desired by manipulating the screw 29. The take -away roller l is similarly adjusted for taking the processed slab away from the carrier. The sprocket wheels 25 on each housing are connected by an endless chain 3l which may be passed over a third sprocket wheel 32 rotatably disposed yon the tool carrier and driven by an endless belt 33 actuated by a prime mover (not shown). As illustrated in Figures 1 and 3, a known gear reduction mechanism in the compartment 35 may be used in connection with the chain drive. The dressing tool- I3 may be independently driven by another endless belt 34 actuated by the same or another prime mover.

It will be apparent that the devices previously described and illustrated are subject to many variations and modications within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A feed roller unit in combination with the tool carrier of a wood planer, the carrier having a dressing tool rotatably disposed therein, the feed roller unit lcomprising a housing, the housing comprising spaced, parallel side members and a top member disposed over the abutted edges of the side members, Vwith the back and bottom of the housing open, the side members being eX- tended rearwardly of the top member and spaced apart a distance greater than the diameter of the dressing tool, means for pivotally securing the extended ends of the side members to opposite sides of the carrier, means for varying the position of the housing about the pivotal mounting means thereof, and a feed roller rotatably disposed in the housing and protruding through the open bottom thereof, the axis of the feed roller being substantially parallel to the axis of the dressing tool, in which the means for varying the position of the housing about the pivotal mounting means thereof comprises an upstanding anchor disposed on the top member of the housing and adjacent the carrier, a second upstanding anchor disposed on the carrier in opposed relationship with the rst mentioned anchor, the anchors having aligned openings formed therethrough and the opening in the rst mentioned anchor being threaded, a screw threaded through the opening in the rst mentioned anchor with the end extremity of the screw rotatably disposed through the opening in the second mentioned anchor and protruding therebeyond, and a pin disposed through the protruding end of the screw and coacting with the sec- 0nd mentioned anchor on the side opposite the carrier. l

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 'Number Name Date 35,790 Talpey July 1, 1862 833,858 Thomas Oct. 23, 1906 899,143 Thomas et a1 Sept. 22, 1908 940,016 Hick Nov. 16, 1909 1,938,108 Morris Dec. 5, 1933 2,577,975 Moore Dec. 11, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 613,083 France Aug, 13, 1926 589,253 Great Britain June 16, 1947 

